There are people who organise the contest, winners, losers, and people who benefit from the contest taking place.

The Epicureans denied that the gods had created the world and also denied that they played any role in it.

The higher the coefficient of inequality (Gini coefficient) in a society, the worse things tend to be for those at the bottom.

I have to say that some philosophers such as the late Bernard Williams, and I would include myself in this group, would say that tranquillity is overrated as the goal of life.

We have to gamble, and sometimes lose as George Ainslie argues; this keeps the appetite for life sharp.

'Contract' succeeded 'status' as the basic organising principle in modern political vs. ancient society.

Atomism had no absolute 'above' and 'below' and no such rulers, so favoured the undersranding of justice as an agreement amongst equals.

Epicurus thought of justice as an agreement to prevent people harming and being harmed.

Epicurus was not at all interested in what we would call the problems of mass society, and he thought civic politics was just trouble and to be avoided by the wise.

Claims like 'Slavery is wrong' are not fully common-sensical, so they must be at least partly theoretical.

The (atomic) soul is mortal, and the best life is the one with the least pain and the most pleasure.

If fear can prevent us from potential vital danger, it can also be lethal – kills our dreams, chances, personal development and passion, prevent us from living our life at maximum.

Let us see our life through the lens of our love, we will find that life is amazing and magical.

I certainly don’t have any interest in being on a dark veranda with any man except my husband, unlike some women do.” - Esther Norman

Every once in a while I play a true idiot, and they're really fun to play.

The only true measure of success is the amount of joy we are feeling.

Indeed, this is an important characteristic of the globalization debate: the tendency toward glorifying all things indigenous even when they deserve to be left in the past.

The choices you've made in the past are the direct cause of all your unhappiness today.

The spiritual life is always about letting go. It is never about holding on.

We know not through our intellect but through our experience.

I never thought I'd get to have children; to me [they're] just a miracle.